Transpac Race: Bend It Like Beckham

(July 16, 2019) – The standings in the 50th Transpac Race have shuffled as teams sailing extra distance to the south have had their payday in turning better winds to better pace toward the Honolulu finish line. The consensus now is to bend the course back up to the rumb line, with the three MOD70s gybeing along that route in front of the fleet. Now with teams enjoying the offwind trades, the attrition count has not increased beyond 8 teams.

Upon their return today to Marina del Rey, CA, the skippers of the Santa Cruz 70 OEX (John Sangmeister) and the Andrews 70 Pyewacket (Roy Disney) give an account of what happened in the rescue of the crew when OEX sank yesterday:

Leaders based on positions (as of 0700 HST):
Multihulls 0: Argo – MOD70
Multihulls 0A: Celestra – Lagoon 400S2
Division 1: Rio 100 – Bakewell White 100
Division 2: Taxi Dancer – R/P 70
Division 3: Bretwalda 3 – Rogers 46
Santa Cruz 50/52: Prevail – Santa Cruz 52
Division 5: Kialoa II – S&S 73
Division 6: Ohana – Swede 50
Division 7: Chubasco – S&S Yawl 67
Division 8: Sweek Okole – Farr 36
Division 9: Nadelos – Wasa 55
Cal 40: Viva
Overall: Bretwalda 3 – Rogers 46

Daily standings from 0800 roll call: click here.

Event Details – Entry list – Tracker – Facebook

Note: There is a 4-hour delay on the tracker but goes live within the final 200 miles.

Attrition list:
• Mayhem, Hobie 33, Steven Eder
• Aloha, Hobie 33, Kyle Vanderspek
• Nalu V, Cal 40, Mark Ashmore
• Trouble, Santa Cruz 50, Tom Camp,
• Live Wire, Olson 40, Tim Jones
• OEX, Santa Cruz 70, John Sangmeister
• Pyewacket, Andrews 70, Roy Disney
• Macondo, Beneteau First 47.7, Mike Sudo

Background: First organized by the Transpacific Yacht Club in 1906, the biennial Transpacific Yacht Race or Transpac is an offshore sailing race from Point Fermin in Los Angeles to Diamond Head, just east of Honolulu, a distance of 2225 nm. The 2019 edition has 12 divisions with staggered starts on July 10, 12, and 13.

Boats racing in Divisions 6, 7, 8, 9, the Cal 40s, and the Multihulls in Class 0A will start on July 10. The second start on July 12 will be for the boats in Divisions 3, 5 and the Santa Cruz 50/52s, with the final start on July 13 for the remaining monohull entries in Divisions 1 and 2, along with the Multihull class 0 entries.